I carried a large pot of boiling pasta over to the sink to be drained, and  my smart phone was cupped between my ear and my shoulder, as I chatted with my sister. But somehow (SOMEHOW!) my phone dropped into the boiling pot of pasta and water!!    My smart phone.  My high-tech, 5G,  electronic, expensive  device was submerged into salted, boiling water . I screamed and then fished my phone out of the water with a slotted spoon.   Believe it or not, my sister was still on the call!  I updated her on this potentially/probably/definitely dire circumstance and hung up.   How could my phone not  be ruined?   The temperature was hot (above 212 degrees Fahrenheit), and the phone ports registered as "detecting moisture", and both facts made sense because it had been submerged into a boiling pot of pasta and water!!   What else could I expect except disaster? ...How about a miracle? That's what I would call the (outcome)...

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said.   ~Malachi 3:16 Isn't it delightful  to be with God's people?   Isn't it a treat to our spirit  to share in time and conversation with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ? Seek a sister-in-Christ out today, or book a breakfast with a brother-of-the-Lord.   It's so powerful  to be provided with the power-of-faith through those who also love the Lord, and we have to be purposeful in making it happen.   Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.  ~Philippians 2:1-2    ~~~     This weekend I am taking a few students (including one of my own!) to a retreat/training s...

I've been thinking about tomatoes a lot lately.  In our neck-of-the-woods, they are in season, and I wanted to preserve some for making spaghetti sauces and chili's down-the-line.  We grow tomatoes in our garden, and we've had a nice harvest, but not quite enough all-at-once for canning jar-fulls, and so I bought some tomatoes from a local stand. The tomatoes were ripe , which is exactly the type you need for canning, but as I perused the  abundant tomatoes at the stand, there were also asome that had been tainted by insects and disease , and those cannot be used for canning, because imperfections in fruit or vegetables will cause contamination and spoilage in the processing. For making canned or "stewed" tomatoes, (as our family calls them), you need unblemished tomatoes, and a lot of them, and that's what I got.  Many tomatoes were blanched, peeled, quartered, and then sprinkled with a little  bit of sugar and some salt, and stewed-up to boiling before bein...

I found this guy walking on the wall at work the other day.                              My usual practice with insects of any kind is the death penalty, and I don't feel a lick of remorse in sharing that with you.   Judge me if you like, but bugs belong outside in their domain, and not inside in mine . However, as I watched this delicate arachnid climb and rappel up and down the wall on an invisible string for a minute or two, I had the thought that perhaps I could take him outside and let him go free ...instead of crushing and then flushing him. In a moment of kindness, I gently cupped his tiny torso in a wad of toilet paper, and he stayed still in the two-ply softness as I made a bee-line to the front door of the office and then uncrumpled both him and paper to release him into the freedom of daylight. (Seemingly) stunned at my goodwill-deed, he stood still for a long minute, and then ...

If we have ever read (or watched the movie) "A Christmas Carol" by  Charles Dickens, then we are familiar with Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy and self-(only)-focused older man who lived most of his life serving (only) himself and accommodating (only) his   needs.   But one evening, as Ebenezer slept, he was visited by three ghosts, who chronicled his life and his heart.   When he wakes, Ebenezer realizes that he still has time to change his attitude, and to change his treatment of others, and to change  his heart.   And Ebenezer  wants  to. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we (still) have time to do the same: Do we WANT to ? We may not have been visited by three  (past, present, and future) spirits last night, but the Lord God Almighty visits us through His Holy Bible today, and God gets specific about a few topics that must be important to Him, or He would not mention them.   And the Lord tells and teaches us His stance...